Philosophy
The original medical maxim was "Above all, do no harm," but because of the limitations of the present medical field, the demands of our current society, and the greed of drug manufacturers, politicians, and crafty marketers, this maxim has silently become "Above all, feel no pain....and accomplish it quickly and cheaply." Clients aren't asking for cures, per se; they just want their pet to feel better, and they want it now. Therefore, the focus has become addressing the "symptoms" of the disease rather than the cause of the disease itself. It's a win-win proposition for the orthodox veterinarian. Fifi is no longer sneezing, itching, or vomiting; the fever is gone, the swelling is down. The vet is a hero in your eyes. Your "expectations" have been met. But the problem comes back, perhaps in a different guise. So the veterinarian tries a different, or a newer or stronger drug. The cycle begins. When you've had enough or the vet runs out of options, you are sent to the specialist for more of the same. Once again, you might think your expectations have been met, but eventually you may have a very sick pet.

Application
The concept is that everything that enters the body, at whatever level, enters it as a potential nutrient or toxin. We depend on a healthy balanced system to make the distinction and to quickly eliminate the toxins. A good holistic practitioner will try to support the body through the natural elimination of toxins. However, as this process is often accompanied by unpleasant symptoms, orthodox medicine rushes to use drugs to suppress the body's discomfort and unwittingly suppresses the body's natural expressions of elimination as well. In doing so, they have not only "missed the point," but the danger is that the toxins have not been eliminated. This is the basis for the cycle of events referred to earlier. It is important that you understand that if you are dealing with an ill pet, you most likely got there through predictable means: 1) your pet had a compromised immune system to begin with, possibly from genetic history, diet, over-vaccination, toxic environments, etc.; 2) the profession used drugs designed to suppress the symptoms of the disease, and in the process, unwittingly suppressed the disease itself—meaning they drove it further into the system and toward vital organs; and 3) more than likely, the drugs chosen have had the side effect of also suppressing the already compromised immune system. Thus we have an unending downward spiral. It is at this point that many new clients with serious illnesses come to us. Many are "broke, frustrated, and at their wit's end" (some phone and naively ask if there's an herbal or homeopathic they can pick up at the local health food store). If what you want is "just something simple to make my pet feel better," then your expectations are unrealistic. You basically must choose one of two options:
1) Continue to use stronger and stronger suppressive drugs to offer "immediate relief," until the system totally breaks down and what was once a mini-crisis has become chronic illness and then ultimately a major crisis, or
2) Reverse the process by eliminating the previous drugs; dealing with each layer of disease as it has followed its course of being driven further into the system along the reverse order to its final elimination, if possible; and diagnosing and curing the original flaw that led to a compromised immune system in the first place.